High Court judge blasts lack of judicial resources to meet care proceedings timings
A High Court judge refused to embark on a final hearing in a complex child care case because of lack of time and the absence of any slack in the family court system to allow for an early hearing, it has emerged.
The proceedings concerned a care order in relation to a two-year-old child, who is [...]
Government publishes guide to bust adoption law myths
Children are missing out on the chance to be adopted because social workers have over-reacted to a number of recent court judgements, Sir Martin Narey has warned.
The warning came as the adoption adviser published a ‘myth-busting’ guide to clarify the rulings and reassure social workers that the law has not changed.
Narey, who chairs the [...]
Placement orders fall by half in nine months
The number of placement orders granted by judges have halved in the last nine months, government statistics have revealed.
Figures for April to June this year show that 760 orders were made, a fall of 51% compared to July to September 2013.
New placement orders fell by 900 in 2013/14 when compared to the previous year, which [...]
Child sexual exploitation is the ‘norm’, warns inquiry
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) has become a ‘social norm’ in parts of Greater Manchester and tackling it will require a “sea change” in public and professional attitudes, a report by Stockport MP Ann Coffey has warned.
In her Real Voices report, ordered by Greater Manchester police and crime commissioner following the Rochdale CSE scandal, Coffey warns [...]
ADCS past-president calls for Nice for children's services
The inaugural president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has called for the creation of an institute for excellence in children’s services to tackle long-standing problems with child protection practice.
Writing in the latest edition of CYP Now, John Freeman, ADCS president in 2007, the organisation's first year, said an institute focused on [...]
Children living with parental alcohol abuse are being missed by system
A children's commissioner report has found social services support for alcohol abuse is failing to look beyond the impact on the individual.
Children living with parental alcohol misuse are missing out on support if their parents have not already sought treatment, according to a report by the children’s commissioner.
The report used local authority data [...]
